Apparatus for making spring packing



NOV. 17, 1942. Q T RIPLEY ETAL APPARATUS FOR MAKING SPRING PACKING Filed March 8, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 17, 1942. c. "r. RIPLEY ETAL APPARATUS FOR MAKING SPRING PACKING 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 8, 1941 Nov. 17, 1942. c. T. RIPLEY ETAL APPARATUS FOR MAKING SPRING PACKING Filed March 8, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 rims Nov. 17, 1942 Charles '1'. Ripley and Walter M. Gibbs, Chicago,

Packing 111., alaignors to Spring Corporation,

Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application March a, 1941, Serial No. 382,374 10 Claims. (01. 140-71) 'Our-invention relates to the manufacture of spring-filled packing-a stranded capillary ma* terial such as waste with a multiplicity of springs embedded therein. This spring-iilledpacking is used especially for packing the journalboxes of railway rolling stock. The compression springs which are embedded within the waste perform the two-fold function of better keeping the waste pressed against the Journal surfaces and holding the waste rather open so that it does not lose too much of its capillarity by becoming packed in hard lumps.

.Our present invention is concerned with an improved apparatus for making the spring-filled packing and the springs therefor, and an improved die for forming the springs. The springs are preferably formed more or less simultaneously with the operation of embedding them in the waste.

Method phases of the present invention are the subject-matter of our co-pending application, Serial No. 401,748, filed July 10, 1941, on method of making spring packing.

Our improved spring-filled packing and our improved spring used therein, which are disclosed in this application, are disclosed and claimed in our copending application Serial No. 382,375, illed March 8, 1941, on Spring-filled packing."

Among the objects of our invention .are: A better control of the anchorage of the springs in the waste whereby they will be anchored effectively to the waste to keep them well distributed throughout the waste, but yet permit a ready release of the anchorage in separating the smaller body of the spring-filled waste from a larger body; an improved technique for the manufacture of the springs with terminal eyes in such a manner as to facilitate embedding the springs in the waste as an incident to or continuation of the manufacture of the springs, and which will yet provide ample working space where the terminal eyes are formed for the tools or other instrumentalities employed in forming the eyes: and an improvement in the cutting a terminal portion of a wire helix to sever a helical spring therefrom and while holding the cut-apart bodies of the wire helix in situ, turning back their severed ends.

Another object of the present invention is an improved die well adapted for carrying out the method, which is relatively simple, adaptable for multiple operation, not likely to lamb in operation, and in which the working parts, such as the cutting knife and the eye turning elements, aresoarrangedthattheymayreadilybercin which such elements radiate out from the die in such a manner as to leave ample room for driving engagement.

The foregoing, together with further objec features and advantages of our invention, are set forth in-theiollowing description of, and the sccompanying drawings illustrating, a specific embodiment thereof, In the drawings:

Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, are vertical views showing successive steps in the manufacture of our spring waste; 7

Fig. 6isaview ofa massoftheflnishedprod- Fig. '1 is a side elevation of a completed spring;

Fig. a is a plan view of a completed spring;

Fig. 9 is a somewhat diagrammaticai vertical longitudinal section through a horizontal layer or web of waste and a support for the waste and. partially in elevation, a die which may be used for eflecting our method (the die being shown in the position of discharge of a completed spring);

Fig. 10 is a vertical cross-section of the jacket of the die with its sleeve and core in elevation, the section being on the same plane as that of Fig. l (the core being in its upward or clamping position in Figs. 10 to 13);

Fig. 11 is a section similar to Fig. 10 and on the same plane, but showing the die jacket, sleeve and core all in section;

Fig. 12 is a plan section taken on the line i2--l 2, of Fig. 11 through the die;

Fig. 13 is a section similar to Fig. 12. but taken on the oblique line Ii-il of Fig. 10 and omitting the frame and eye turning rods;

Fig. 14 is an axially exploded perspective view of the lower portions of the die core and die sleeve as viewed in the direction of the arrow 14 of Fig. 12;

Figs. 15 to 21, inclusive, are development views looking inwardly fronfthe circumference of the wire helix within the helical die passage, the lateral margins of these developments starting and ending on the radius ii of Fig, 12;

Fig. 22 is a bottom view of the die and its frame; and

Fig. 23 is a side elevation of the upper end of the die as viewed from the line 2H3 of Fig. 9, showing a lifting cam for the die core.

Figs. 7, 8 and 10 to 21, are on a larger scale than the other figures.

Our new spring-filled waste is illustrated in Fig. 6; It is a mass of waste 25-inexpensive cotton waste will suiiice-with a multiplicity of moved or replacement. m W 55 springs 28, detailed in Figs. 7 and 8, embedded "run every whichway."

therein. The waste does not have its yarns in .any particular'pattern. or'interrelationship.

The springs, as shown in Figs. 7 and Byare helical springs which may be about an inch and a half in diameter and two convolutions long.

. right in Fig. 2.

lying in planes at normals to the axis of the helix.

The eyes are not entirely closed but leave openings large enough to pass strands or yarns of the v waste. This enables'the eyes to anchor them-'- selves to strands of the Waste and better prevent dislocation of the spring relative to the immediate mass of yarn in which it is embedded.

The ends of the wire of the springs are turned in against the adjoining helicalbody to protect a workman's fingers against any danger of being cut thereby, since his fingers can touch only rounded surfaces. For the same reason, there is not even dangerof the surface of the journal being scratched by sharp-cornered ends of the spring wire. The rounded surfaces afforded by the eyes facilitate the threading of the springs into the waste. But, as previously mentioned, because the eyes are not entirely closed, they have ahooking action upon a very few-and only a very few strands of waste, which largely precludes any unscrewing of the springs from the mass of waste. Although the barbs at the ends of the wire resulting from cutting the wire are shielded by the eying from interfering with the threading of the wires into the waste, the barbed ends are presented to some of the strands of waste once the insertion is completed, and that tends to provide an anchoring of the springs within the waste quite in addition to the hooking action.

In the ultimate product of Fig. 6, the springs are not arranged in any pattern or predetermined position, but are variously disposed; they The resilience of the springs being much greater axially than diametrically, when the waste is packed into a journal box, for example, the miscellaneous disposition of the springs insures that a sizable body of waste will, because of the springs, exert a resilient pressure in all directions including, most importantly of all, pressure toward thejournal.

Our new method of manufacturing spring-filled waste is illustrated generally in Figs. 1 to 6. These operations are carried out in successive cycles, each cycle comprising forming another two convolutions of helix from the supply wire, severing a two-convolution helix, forming terminal eyes, and screwing a completed severed helix spring into the layer of waste.

For the beginning of such a cycle we start, as shown in Fig. 1, with a previously formed twoconvolution helix of wire with a terminal eye 21a formed at the lower end thereof. The helix is disposed with its axis vertical and with the lower eye spaced above the top of a layer of the waste from the supply 28a. This shifting of the wire along its own axis, while retaining a fixed path for thehelix; results in the previously formed portion of the helix shown in Fig. 1 being screwed downwardly along the helical path, with the eye .210 leading. so that about the lowermost convolution is threaded into the layer of waste as at the At this time the lower side of the layer of waste is elevated in the region beneath the infed helix so that the thickness of the layer is at least locally reduced by about onehalf. (Preferably the normal thickness of the layer of waste is a little more than-the length of the spring.) The helix now has four convolutions, the lower of which, is threaded into the compressed layer of waste.

The second step, as shown in Fig. 3, is to cut the wire at 30, severing the lower double convo-' lution. .(It isnever necessary, in our process, to cut the wire between the helix and the supply reach.) The cutting leaves slight barbs at the severed endsof the wire.

The third step, as shown in Fig. 4, is to form eyes 21a and 21b in the severed ends of the wire. The new eye z'labecomes the lower, eye of a future convolution helix, like the initial two-convolution helix of Fig. 1, while the eye 21b becomes.

the upper terminal eye of the severed new twoconvolution helix. As to each eye, the eye is iormed by turning the severed end of the wire in a plane tangential to the helix at that point, with the turning being axially away from the body of the helix, the terminal of which the eye defines. During the eye-forming operation of Fig. 4, the terminal reaches of wire are clamped at a spaced distance back from the cut, so that th body of the severed helix remains fixed during the eye formation. As a result, the completed eyes are spaced apart by .a distance resulting from the length of wire incorporated in the eyes.

It will thus be seen that the complete forma tion of the completed spring of Fig. 4 from the supply wire has not been accomplished during this cycle. Instead it was formed largely during the previous cycle. That is, the two helical con-- volutions of the completed spring and its lower terminal eye 210, as shown in Fig. 1, were formed during the preceding cyc1e; only the springforming steps of severing the wire and forming the upper terminal eye 21b were performed in the current cycle.

The fourth step in the cycle, as shown in Fig.-

5, comprises a release of the completed spring from its positional relationship to. the newly formed two-convolution helix of .wire and the,

lowering of the bottom of the layer of waste, so that the waste will expand, to its normal thickness. As it does so, the spring is pulleddown into the layer of waste to a greater extent than it was initially threaded, with the result that a substantial portion of the 'spring is submerged thereof and anchoring themselves in the eye, andin part by the barb at the end of the severed end of the eye catching in some of the waste.

The fifth step in the cycle, which may largely overlap the fourth step, is a horizontal shifting of the layer of waste corresponding to the interval at which springs are to be embedded in the intervals transversely thereof.

asoaow nel cut into the cylindrical periphery of the sleeve 8! and completed by the bore of the jacket 38. A feed hole 43 for the incoming wire 28 is that during each cycle a plurality of springs are co eted and screwed into a layer of waste at Thus, with the completion of a plurality of cycles embedding springs at intervals longitudinally of the layer of waste, a large area of waste with springs embedded at longitudinal and transverse inter vals is produced. This spring-embedded layer is then twisted and folded" and matted together in such a manner as to form the spring-filled waste mass of Fig. 6, wherein the springs are ,rather uniformly distributedthrough the mass but not in any particular order;or pattern.

Particular attention is called to the placement of the terminal eyes in reference to the helical bodies of the springs. If the planes of the eyes were more or less at normals to the axes of the helical spring bodies, the instrumentalities em-- ployed in turning the severed ends of the wire into the eyes would be confined to rather close quarters between convolutions. But by forming the eyes so that the plane of each eye is substantially a tangent to the imaginary cylindrical surface in which the helix of the body of the spring is inscribed, the axis of the eye becomes more or less a radius from the axis of the helical body of the spring. This gives us almost unlimited room radially outwardly from the axis of the helix, and along the axis of the eye, for the instrumentalities employed in turning the wire into the eye. The space between convolutions and the substantial gap left between the completed eyes also afford reasonable working space arcuately about the axes of the eyes for the instrumentalities which form them.

Any usual economical means for severing the wire will leave barbs at the severed ends. 'We so form the terminals of the springs that these barbs cannot-have any objectionable results such as injuring the fingers of the workman or impeding the threading of the springs into the waste. But, on the other hand, we do retain the disposed tangentially through the wall of the jacket 38 at the back thereof, as shown in Figs. 10 and 23. A key pin ll fixed in the wall of the sleeve and extending inwardly from its ,borc engages a longitudinal groove II in the side of the core 40, as shown in Fig. 11, to spline the core to the sleeve so that the core may shift axially within the sleeve but not turn relative to it. The

main body of the sleeve is is fixed to the lacket 30 by a set screw 48 (Fig. 9). The jacket in turn is made non-rotatable in its seat in the bore of the frame by a pin 41 (Fig. 10). Thus, once assembled, the frame 38 the jacket 38, the sleeve 3! and the core I. are all fixed relative to each other except that the core may shift longitudinally within the sleeve.

.As shown in Fig. 9, the layer of waste 25 is supported upon a longitudinally flexible horizontalfioor or belt ll, which in turn is supported for horizontal progressive movement leftward.

The die I! is positioned immediately over the waste-supporting fioor 48 at such height that the bottom of the die comes about only level of'the top of the layer of waste. Because of the stringy nature of the waste, a guide shoe 9 with upturned ends will prevent the waste catching on the die.

For elevating the bottom of the waste to compress the thickness of the waste beneath the inthreading spring at the appropriate time in the cycle, an eccentric wheel It may be rotated to raise the fioor 48 immediately beneath the die.

Before describing the operation in greater detail, we shall first describe the remaining structure of the die.

The helical groove or channel "a. in the periphery of the sleeve, which helps define the helical guideway 42, extends as such downwardly only to the point ii, as shown in Figs. 14 and I5 and located in Fig. 13. Below the point II only the top wall of the channel survives, that being the lower edge 52 of the sleeve. The lower edge 52 of the sleeve, which edge is one convolution long, begins and ends at a vertical edge I3 barbed ends of the wire and turn them to good use where they can be of service; namely, in engaging and sticking to strands of the waste, the better to anchor the springs in the waste without danger of dislodgment.

Our new method of manufacturing the springfilled waste is illustrated with more refinements in detail in connection with Figs. 9 to 23, which also illustrate a die which we have invented as peculiarly well adapted for carrying out our method. 3

The die 35 comprises a frame 36 (including a bottom plate lid and a block 381)), a vertical bore II through the frame, a jacket 3! set into the bore, a sleeve 39 (Fig. 10) fitted into the bore of the jacket, and a core ll) slidably mounted within the bore of the sleeve (Fig. 11).

The jacket 38 is made in two pieces, a main body, the lower half of which is set into the bore of the frame, and an upper portion constituting a cap "a, which is inwardly flanged to'overlie the top of the sleeve 39 and which is fixed tov 70 which lies in a plane radial to the axis of the die and which is one convolution high. Thus, the edge 53. represents the vertical offset between the ends of the helical convolution to which the lower edge 52 of the sleeve conforms.

Near its lower end the core 40 is radially enlarged to the bore of the jacket to underhang the lower edge of the sleeve 39, whereby to present an upwardly facing clamping shoulder 54 helically parallel with and complementing the lower edge 52 of the sleeve, as will be seen from Figs. 10,

. 14 and 15. This enlargement 55 is in the nature of a rib, having a bottom edge 55 helically parallel with the edge or shoulder 54, whereby the radius of the periphery of the core-therebeneath is reduced, as it is just above the shoulder 54, to clear a path for the downward continuation of the helix. This avoids an obstruction to downward feeding of the completed springs and their terminal eyes. A spring 56 normally pushes the die core from the clamping position of Figs. 10 and 11 to the rather widely open unclamped position indicated in Fig. 15. In that position the clamping edge 52 of the sleeve and the clamping shoulder 54 of the die, although still helically parallel, are separated far enough to permit the passage, along a continuation of the helix, of the terminal eyes of the springs. From this normally open position thedie core may be raised to clamping position with the wire between thea in! force.

sleeve edge 52 \and the clamping shoulder. A

cam lever 81 pivoted to the upwardly protruding stem of the core and working against the jacket cap) may be employed to multiply the clamp- (See Fig. 23.) Y

A chisel-edged cutter 58, shown in Figs. 12 and 13, is reciprocally journaled in the frame and diametrically penetrates the sleeveand core to bring its cutting edge normally a little inwardly of the wire at an elevation which is about at the mid point of the lower edge 52 of the sleeve.

\ "The core-penetrating end of the cutter is of flatanterior spring is rotatably and reciprocably journaled in the frame, as shown in Fl'gs. l0, 11 and 12 and indicated in Fig. 18. The turner 6| is in the form of a round shaft having-at its inner end a central mandrel pin Ma preferably of hard piano wire and a turning wing Gib radially spaced from the mandrel pin a distance suflicient to accommodate the diameter of the wires To permit the turner 8| to be shifted axially inwardly far enough to receive the wire between the core along the reaches of. wire both posteriorly and anteriorly adjoining the. respective eyes as they are formed. On the other hand, when the core is moved down to its unclampedposition the shoulder 54 is too far below the lower edge '52 of the sleeve to constitute a guide for the 7 wire as it is progressed along its own axis, along that part of the way for the wire which is bounded by the lower edge" of the sleeve. "I'o'extend the lower limits oi. the guideway closer to the region of the turner 8|, we provide a plurality of spaced guide pins 80 which, as shown in Fig. 13, are driven radially through the wall of the Jacket II and protrude inwardly a short distance from its bore. As shown in Fig. 15, these guide pins 58 are disposed at a distance below the lower edge 52 of the sleeve to form a passage between guideway which accommodates the wire but conlines it to its helical path almost up to the position of the turner ll. The radial enlargement shoulder 54, is vertically slotted at 69 to accommodate the pins '58 when the core is-pulled up mandrel pin and wing, the jacket and sleeve are radially traversed by cross bores 62 aligned with the cross bore in the frame which journals the turner shaft GI, and the periphery of the core is correspondingly radially countersunk at B3.

A similar turner 64 with a mandrel pin 64a and a turning wing 64b. as shown in Fig. 12 and indicated in Fig. 18, is journaled in the frame in angular-1y spaced relation to the turner 6| and works through a cross bore 65 in the sleeve and the jacket and into a countersink 66. The turner 84 is for forming the upper eye of the posterior spring. The turners BI and 64 are positioned to operate equidistant on the anterior and posterior sides of the cutter 58. It so happens that in the die illustrated the axes of the turners GI and 64 'sleeve cross bore 65. The purpose of the depression 61 is to clear the end of the wire projecting beyond the cross bore 65 during the turning op. eration.

As shown in Figs. 14 and 15, the upwardly facing clamping shoulder of the core is interrupted a very short distance by one end of the cutter slot 59 and also throughout a considerable distanceon either side of the other end of the cutter slot 59 and-beneath the working position of the turners I and 84. This is partly to provide clearance for the downward axial shifting of the completed spring, including especially its upper terminal eye, and also in part because it would be impossible to obtain any clamping action at th region of the eye.

As is seen by a comparison of Figs. 15 and 20, the wire is clamped between the bottom edge 52 'and removably held by a screw 12.

to clamping position, as shown in Fig. '16.

As shown in Fig. 22, a lug 10 is set into a slot II in the bottom surfaceof the frame plate 31b The lug 10 projects radially into the bore 31 of the frame and extends to clearance distance from the core II! at a radial position a little below the cutting end of the knife 58. The protruding inner end of the lug 70, which was somewhat rounded at its top surface, thus extends across but below the helical path of the wire.

Having previously described the spring-filled waste of Fig. 6 and the springs employed therein of Figs. 7 and 8 and also having previously described, in connection with Figs. 1 to 6, our method of making the springs and inserting them in the'waste, and having now completed a description of the structure of the die we have devised as a preferred apparatus for carrying out that method-we shall now describe the operation of the die by reference particularly to Figs.

In identifying the sequence of operation of the cycle, as shown in Figs. 15 to 21 with that shown position of Fig. 21 is to be identified with the position of Fig. 5; and the position of Fig. 15 is to be identified with the position of Fig. -2. The two sequences of view do not start on quite the same phase of the cycle.

Accordingly, the more clearly to correlate the sequences 'of Figs. l5to 21 to that of Figs. 1 to 5, we shall start with Fig. 21,- which illustrates the position of the wire within the die at the stage of Fig. 5, the upper end of the just-completed spring being shown as starting to pull away from the die by the expansion of the layer of waste to its normal-thickness.

of the sleeve and the clamping shoulder 54 of the The newly completed spring having been re- 2,302,057 ,by the die, and being pulled down by the expansion ofthe layer of waste 28, when the eccentric wheel II is rotated to its lower Podtion, thenewly formed spring is entirely withdrawn from the die by the" shifting to the left ofthe layer of waste. as indicated in Fig. 9. This leaves a two-convolution helix of wire in the die,

the upper end extending tangentially to the supply roll and the lower end terminating in the eye 21 a shown inFig. 21.

convolutions, as indicated in Fig. 15. The feed-.

ingof the wire through the helical guideway 42 conforms and sets it to the characteristic helix of the spring. During this infeeding' of wire for two more convolutions, the two convolutions previously formed are fed helicallydownwardly through the die without much guiding savea .little lateral guiding between the core and jacket. It is not necessary to guide the two p eviously formed convoluti'ons in close confinement, because they have already been formed into a set helix.

The initial downward helical movement of the terminal eye 21a from the position of Fig. 21 to the position of Fig. is guided, however. in part by the pin it and by the terminal riding over the top surface of the lug II, which guiding aids help the enlarged terminal of the wire in between the core shoulder 54 and the bottom edge 52 of the sleeve 39. on both sides of the knife OI.

Next, as shown in Fig. 17, the wire is severed at by longitudinal movement ofthe knife 58 in the normal position of Fig. 12. The cutting edge of the knife may be progressed to the bore 'of the Jacket ll so that it later serves as ananvil. But preferably the knife edge is stopped a trifle short of the bore, so that the knife does not completely sever the wire. The completion of the severing is then accomplished by the subsequent tumins of the wire ends into terminal eyes, and thereby a small barb 3| (Fig. 19), as previously mentioned, is formed at each severed end of the wire. But even with a complete severance of the wire by the knife 58; something of a barb II is formed.

Next, as shown in Fig. 18, the turner 8| is slid radially inwardly from its normal position of Fig. 12 until its central pin Sid and its wing Gib lie below and above, respectively, either side of the wire a short distance in from its severed end.

Then, as indicated in Fig. 19, the turner 6|, while held in its inward position, is rotated clockwise (Fig. 19). through about three-fourths of a revolution. By this rotation the wing tlb wraps the end of the wire around the central mandrel pin Gla to form a lower terminal eye 21a for the unsevered two-convolution helix of wire in the die. The turner BI is so conformed, and placed at such a distance back from the severed end of the wire, that when the wire is does not ent r l c ose the eye but eaves a slisht gap. Next,a s shown 20, theturner I is withdrawn outwardly to its normal position of Fig. 12. The turner 84 is similarly shifted to inner position, turned through about three-fourths of a revolution to form the other eye 21b, and then withdrawn. Either of the two eyes may be formed by its turnerbefore the other is formed,

'but forconvenience and speed wepreierj that the operations of forming the two eyes he carried on simultaneously. and it is soillustrated in Figs. 18, 19 and 20. It will be noted. that whileboth turners rotate clockwise in Fig. 19, the eye 21a is formed by "turning the endo! the wire downwardly while the other, eyei'lbf is formed by turnin the end of the eye upwardly. After the eye-forming operations are completed, as in Fig. '20, the core isreleased to permit gravity, aided-by the spring to, to push the core downwardly to release theclamping of the wire, as shown inFig.'2l.

This completes the cycle of operation of the die. v

To initiate the first cycle, as when a new supply spool Ila of wire is to be fed intothe die, the end of the wire is inserted through the feed hole B (Fig. 23) andpushed axially of the wire itself through the helical guideway 42 until it hits the knife 58 (which may be temporarily pushed inwardly for the purpose of a limiting stop). Then the core may beralsed to clamping position, and the turner 6| pushed in and turned to form the initial terminal eye 21a. Then more wire Ila is fed into the die to, form two more convolutions and tion of Fig. 15. 3

Our die for making the spring is a relatively simple one despite thedimculty of illustrating it. It is easily taken apart and put back together. The working parts, such as the active ends of the turners and the sharp edges of the knife,

advance the cycle to the 'posiare easily accessible by withdrawing those members. Andalthoughv the working endsof the turners and the knife are operating inrelatively close quarters, the bodies of those members ex tend radially outwardly from the spring being made, to external positions where thereis' ample room for connecting them with manual or ,rnachine-operated instrumentalities for effectin or which is well adapted for multiple operationat high speed for quantity production. The two turners SI and 64 may, as structural units, be identical.

While we have illustrated and described this specific embodiment of our method and appara- 1 tus for making it, we contemplate that many changes and substitutions may be made without departing, from the scope and spirit of our invention. The phraseology of the claims assumes a position inwhich the axis of the helix is vertical, but it will be understood that the wrapped about the mandrel pin the end of the term is used only in a relative sense in defining the relationship of the parts.

We claim: 1

l. A die for forming from spring wire terminally eyed coiled springs for spring-filled packing, comprising a jacket member having a bore, a sleeve member fitted into the bore, a helical groove in one of .the members along the bore and closed bythe other member to provide a helical guideway for receiving the wire and forming it into a helix as the wire is fed longitudinally ofitself through the suideway, the, 1'

Thedie is. one

lower wall of the groove being omitted along a lower reach of the guideway, a core member mounted to reciprocate axially within the sleeve member, and near its lower end carryin a radial enlargement which presents a helically conformed upwardly facing shoulder shaped to complementthe upper wall of the groove along the region of said lower wall omission and to cooperate therewith to clamp the wire at spaced regions therealong, a cutter mounted to cut the wire intermediate said clamping regions whereby to sever lower convolutions of the wire as a hellcal spring, tumers mounted to engage the severed= ends of the wire on either side of the cut and between said clamping regions whereby to bend the ends of the wire into-terminal eyes, and

.means for shifting the core downwardly where- 5 turners are reciprocally journaled along axes radial to the helix and are shifted inwardly to overlap and engage the wire and are rotated to turn the end reaches of wire into the eye, and are shifted outwardly to clear the wire.

8. Apparatus for forming from spring wire terminally eyed coiled springs and embedding them ina layer of waste in the manufacture of spring filled packing, the apparatus comprising a die having a helical guideway into which wire is 15 fed and progressed longitudinally of the wire to form the wire progressively into a helix, means for supporting a layer of waste beneath the die by t release i s l ing of the wire and to to be penetrated helically by the helix of wire as permit removal of the severed Spring.

it is helically'progressed out of the die, means 2. A die according to claim 1, wherein the core 20 for clamping the wire at arcuately spaced regions member is shifted downwardly far enough for the.

lower terminal eye of the remaining wire helix to pass between said shoulder of the core member and said complemented upper wall of the groove to permit helical progression of the remaining helix of wire.

3. A die according to claim 1, wherein the cutter extends diametrically through the sleeve and core members between convolutions of the wire and cuts the wire in a direction radially outwardly of the die.

4. A die according to claim 1, wherein the cutter extends diametrically through the sleeve and core members between convolutions of the wire and cuts the wire in a direction radially outwardly of the die and the turners, in forming the eyes, rotate about axes radially of the die.

5. A die according to claim l,'wherein the core member protrudes above the sleeve and jacket members for engagement by mechanism for vertically shifting the core member.

along the helix of wire in the die, means for cutting the wire at a point intermediate said clamping regions to sever lower convolutions of the helix of wire as a coiled spring after its leading end has been fed into the waste, and means effective during the clamping but after the cutting for forming the end reaches of wire adjacent the cut into terminal eyes.

9. Apparatus for forming from spring wire terminally eyed coiled springs and inserting them in packing material to form spring-filled packing, comprising means for forming the wire, as progressed longitudinally of itself, into a helix, a cutter for cutting the wire at an intermediate positionof the helix, said means including clamping parts for clamping the wire of the helix at regions arcuately spaced anteriorly and posteriorly of the point of severance, and rotatably mounted tumers engaging the end reaches of the wire between their clamped regions and their severed ends to turn the end reaches into terminal eyes.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the tumers are reciprocably journaled along axes radial to the helix for inward shifting to positions overlapping and engaging the wire and for rotation to turn the end reaches of the wire into eyes, and for back-shifting outwardly from the helix to clear the wire.

CHARLES T. RIPLEY. WALTER. M. GIBBS. 

